Presented By

Australia

 

Presented By

Angela Christie Claire Mawdsley Lisa Brocklehurst Martina Forsyth 2

CONTENTS The Brief          Situational Analysis        YMCA Organisation      SWOT Analysis YMCA      Member Demographics      YMCA Online Demographics    YMCA Online – Users      YMCA Online – The Site      Conclusions regarding online visitors  Key Recommendations for the YMCA Site  Competitor Analysis        YHA          STA          WebJet          Lonely Planet        Trip Advisor        Competitor Analysis Conclusion    Objectives          Key Marketing Objectives     Key Digital Objectives      Key Digital Performance Indicators     Digital Strategy          New YMCA Travel Service     Y Travel Brand        Attributes        Benefits         Values          Brand Essence        Launch Activity         

3  4  4  5  6  11  12  12  13  13  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20  20  21  22  23  23  23  23  23  24 

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

Brand Awareness      Member Acquisition      Conversion to Sales      Retention and Loyalty      Measurement and Maximisation    Summary of Key Marketing Activities    SEO          SEM          Online PR        Offline PR and Marketing     Display Advertising Online    Strategic Alliances      Viral Marketing        Consumer generated content    Email          Website Usability      Social Marketing       Mobile Marketing      Database Marketing      Database Management    Key Tags         Web Development      New Y Travel Site        Key Functionality       Web Design        Segmentation of products     Communication Objectives  Budget          Conclusion       

25  25  25  25  25  26  26  26  27  27  28  28  29  29  29  30  30  31  31  31  32  33  33  33  33  33  34  34  35 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix 

36 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

The Brief •

To open up a range of travel offerings, both online and through booths in YMCA hostels and centres.

•

Offer recommendations on what products to promote in particular reference to successful brands such as STA

•

Use Australia as a test market before rolling out globally

•

Introduce the concept of people booking and buying travel products and services from the YMCA.

•

To provide recommendations on the current YMCA website

•

To drive online purchase and primarily market online

Situational Analysis YMCA Organisation The YMCA was founded in 1840 in the United Kingdom. Initially set up to improve the working conditions of young boys and girls, from its humble beginnings, it has grown to be a global community based charity. The YMCA delivers programs and services to help build ‘strong individuals, strong families and strong communities’. The YMCA Association operates in over 124 countries, through over 14,000 individual associations and with over 45 million members. Within Australia, the YMCA is a federation of 32 member associations. Each is governed by a local voluntary Board of Directors elected by its members. The YMCA works in partnership with government, not for profit group and partners to provide programs and services to over 500,000 Australians every week. These include health and fitness, recreation, accommodation, child care, camping, youth and family services, which is a true indication of the YMCA business ethics of Honesty – Respect – Caring and Responsibility. With such a wide and global network the opportunity for roll out of a successful product or service is tremendous. When examining online trends (Figure three in the appendix) we can see that worldwide YMCA is a much stronger brand against key travel competitors such as YHA, Lonely Planet etc. However, considering Australia in isolation figure four) the YMCA does not have the same strength in Australia as it does globally. The full SWOT analysis of the YMCA now follows with analysis of our key demographics and who our competitive landscape.

4

SWOT Analysis – YMCA STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Community reach with over 500,000 members using YMCA products and services

Perceived by some as an organisation predominantly for Christian men

An independent company (not a tourist board) which provides unbiased current information on Australia. Ability to be able to ‘own’ this space

Lonely Planet Thorn Tree – provides information on places all over the world including reviews

YMCA is already highly represented on online forums

Existing products not always well regarded (negative reviews on TripAdvisor as seen in Figure nine in the appendix)

International brand (room for roll out)

YHA – see competitor analysis below

Existing travel organisation - 500 YMCA centres.

YMCA already highly represented on online forums for reasons other than main business objectives

Strong international presence (as shown in figure three)

STA– see competitor analysis below

Represented throughout Australia

YMCA Australia is not represented on Facebook (as shown in figure eight)

Unique offering of authentic Australian community based travel services based on local recommendations

Independent booking engines

YMCA is funded and supported by the Federal Government.

YMCA is not perceived in the marketplace in the same way as Lonely Planet, STA etc. Not a sexy brand.

1,800 people stay in YMCA accommodation every night – being able to spread your message

Trip Advisor– see competitor analysis below

Appeals to wide range of demographics including business travellers, grey nomads, backpackers

Research shows that a majority of those sampled are unsure of what YMCA does and what is stands for. (Survey Monkey 2009)

Use mobile marketing to people who have booked into a YMCA hostel to cross promote other activities

New product may not gain any traction

Dedicated Australian charity with a trusted reputation

Fragmentation between the States – no real national voice

Use existing database to produce a viral marketing campaign

Existing YMCA members may not be engaged with Y Travel

Dedicated Australian product – built by Australians for Australians

As a charity – lack of funds available

Economic climate as Australians holiday more frequently at home

Strengthening Australian dollar helps to increased overseas travel

1,800 people stay in a YMCA hostel on any given night

Possible organisational inertia for new concepts

Steady interest online in community (as shown in figure seven)

Decrease in search for travel (as seen in figure seven)

Strong brand values.

5

 

Member Demographics 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

YMCA Member Demographics as of 2009 across Australia* AGE Group

Gender

Status

Occupation

4 months – 18 years F/M Single student 4 months – 18 years F/M Single student 19 – 35 years F/M Single/couple Student/prof/nonprof/benefit 19 – 35 years F/M Single/couple w kids Professional/nonprof/benefit 36 – 50 years F/M Single /couple Professional/nonprof 36 – 50 years F/M Single/couple w kids Professional/nonprof 50 – 70 years F/M Single/couple Professional/nonprof/retired 50 – 70 years F/M Single/couple w kids Professional/nonprof/retired 71 – 85 years F/M Single/couple retired 71 – 85 years F/M Single/couple w kids retired *Source YMCA Parramatta Marketing Manager Outlined below is the target market travellers based on different demographics within the YMCA community.

Frequency of Travel

Type of Travel

Infrequent Frequent Frequent Infrequent Frequent Infrequent Frequent Infrequent Infrequent Infrequent

Australia Australia/International International/Australia Australia/International International International/Aust. International/Aust International/Aust. Australia/International Australia/International

Australian Traveller • Economy Traveller • Economy Traveller • Economy Traveller • Economy Traveller • Economy Traveller • High End Traveller • High End Traveller

– family short term breaks within Australia around school holidays – family, resort style accommodation centred around school holidays. – backpacking, high volume, with mates or group, require low end accommodation, transport and discounted experiences - couples with mid range accommodation, pre booking and staying in one place - couples with mid range accommodation, pre booked tour for longer stays – Getaway weekend trips, specials, last minute – 2 nights – Getaway weekend trips, pre planned – 4x nights

International Traveller • Economy Traveller • Economy Traveller • Economy Traveller • Economy Traveller • Economy Traveller • High End Traveller

– family breaks international package deal centred around school holidays – family breaks international resorts prepaid centred around school holidays – students backpacking international, one central stopover point with multiple bookings for accommodation and transport - couples with mid range accommodation, pre-booked and staying in one destination with short tours in local environment - couples with mid range accommodation, pre-booked tour, longer stays – Getaway weekend trips, pre-planned – 4x nights

7

Senior • • •

Traveller Retired or semi retired, keen to explore the country of Australia. Have a medium to high spend. Touring with campervans – pre determined destinations Touring with stationwagon – pre booked accommodation and tours.

Table of statistics from Tourism Australia website (current as of June 2009). (All figures quoted are for domestic visitors only and do not include any International Visitors) • Tables are defined by target YMCA demographics • Most booked Items for domestic travellers is accommodation at 43% and airfares 38%. • The Internet usage increased by 3% during 2008 for online bookings.

Accommodation

Luxury Hotel

Average length of stay Destination Travel Party

3 nights

3 nights

5 nights

5 nights

3 nights

3 nights

Qld, NSW 31% adult couples 27% travel unaccompanied

NSW, QLD, VIC 28% adult couples 28% travel unaccompanied

QLD, NSW 35% family groups, 24% adult couples

NSW, QLD, VIC 29% adult couples 28% family groups

NSW,VIC 49% adult couples 16% family groups

Transport

49% air, 45% private vehicle

48% air, 47% private vehicle

75% private vehicle, 19% air

89% private vehicle

83% private vehicle

NSW, VIC, QLD 46% friends or relatives travelling together, 17% travelling unaccompanied 51% private & 28% air

Booking Mode

Standard Hotel

Rented House/ Apartment/Flat

Caravan or Camping

Bed & Breakfast

Backpacker

Internet

Travel Agent

Travel Book, Guide or Brochure

Friends or Relatives

Advertising/Travel Tourist Articles Office/Visitor Information

26% 35 – 44 22% 45 – 54

23% 45 – 54 21% 35 – 44 19% 65 & over

21% 35 – 44 18% 45 – 54 17% 55 – 64

24% 15 – 24 21% 35 - 44

19% 35 – 44, 65 & over 18% 55 - 64

23% 45 – 54 21% 35 - 44

8

Activities

Outdoor/Nature Active Arts/Heritage/Festival Local Social Outdoor/Sports Attractions/Tourist Attractions

Age

19 % 30-49 years

20% 30 – 49 years

27% 60 yrs & over 20% 50 – 59 yrs

21% 60 yrs & over 20% 30 – 39 yrs

Travel Party

32% family group 30% adult couple

32% family group 23% adult couple

37% adult couple 27% family group

34% adult couple 30% family group

•

Since 2004 there has been an average annual growth of 6% in nights spent in serviced apartments.

•

Nights spent in rented houses, apartments, flats or units have increased annually by 2%.

•

Guest houses and B&B accommodation has increased by 1% per annum p.a.

•

Nights spent in luxury and standard hotel have decreased at an average rate of 3% since 2004.

•

Camping and caravan, backpacker’s accommodation has an average decrease of 1% since 2004.

20% 19% 19% 29% 22%

60 yrs & over, 40 – 49yrs, 50 – 59 years adult couple family group

Based on the above statistics from Tourism Australia, worldwide our current internet demographics, match well with the current people travelling throughout Australia. This then validates our assumptions that we can target the above people based on the traffic currently visiting the YMCA existing website. (Source publication Tourism Australia June 2009)

9

YMCA Online Demographics

The above figures and charts show who YMCA customers currently are. With mosaic matching and research on websites visited (see below) we can engage similar customers (who have shown interest in the new product – see assumptions). Source – Google AdPlanner

10 

YMCA Online - Users There are 32,000 unique visitors to the Australian YCMA.org site within Australia (36,000 worldwide). The average time spent on the site by Australians is 8 minutes and 10 seconds with an average of 2.58 visits per visitor.* Our typical visitor is female (59%), aged 35-44 (24%), without children in the household (61%)*. This varies from our historical as well as perceived demographic of young single men. In regards to cross over to other sites, people who search for YouTube are 1.8 times more likely than the average internet user to visit our site and those who search for Facebook are 1.3 times more likely to visit our site.* This demonstrates that visitors to our site are engaging with YouTube and Facebook on a higher frequency than the average internet user. After exploring other sites visited there is a strong Victorian/Melbourne bias (see figures four, five and six). The sites royalshow.com. and vicnet.com are all 12 times more likely to be visited by a YMCA website visitor than an average internet user. Other Victorian sites such as onlymelbourne.com and racv.com are 11 times more likely to be visited too. This collates quite closely with the distribution of YMCA’s in Australia. Victoria has 219 outlets which amounts to 46.5% of the YMCA represented in Australia. Currently there are 1,091 YMCA Groups on Facebook. However, there is no group for Australia (see figure eight).

National website

YMCA Online – The Site The homepage contains details of the services, facilities and activities, provided by the YMCA, together with a “Find your Y” interactive map tool, enabling users to locate the nearest appropriate YMCA centre. The main site also provides links to the regional YMCA websites, which follow a similar overall structure to the national site. However, the regional sites vary considerably in terms of the functionalities and features offered – this can be seen even in the examples to the right. Booking of activities and facilities are made through a manual process. Users are required to download an enquiry form and this fax back to the local centre. Furthermore users can access archive copies of news updates and the newsletter on the national and regional sites, but there are very few sites allowing users to register to receive the YMCA e-newsletter. The sites have very little online functionality with donations, job applications etc all being directed off-line to the nearest centre.

Example of a regional website

(*source Google AdPlanner)

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Conclusions regarding online visitors • • • • •

Visitors to YMCA are also interested in other activities as shown by Royal Show and Village Roadshow visitation Facebook Australia page to be set up with links to other YMCA pages throughout the world Launch event to be in Melbourne as site has strong Melbourne/Victorian bias Promote service on partner sites such as villagecinemans.com, vicnet.net, onlymelbourne.com etc Use YouTube and Facebook to promote service and provide updates for users on the promotion

Key recommendations for the YMCA Site: • • • • • •

Standardisation is required across all YMCA sites, so that each centre’s site has the same core features and functionalities A more seamless user experience would be achieved by having all regional sites linked to the main site. This is more user-friendly than having to search for a regional site through the interactive map, which can be rather time consuming as the functionality is not very user friendly Booking of services, activities and facilities should be possible online, through the site which would further enhance the customer experience ….. Subscription to the e-newsletter should be possible on all sites with the option to customise information preferences, e.g. general YMCA news, types of activities and services, travel information and service etc User generated content required e.g. blogs and a forum Social networking links should be featured prominently on all sites through a ‘share this’ functionality

Competitor Analysis Website

Estimated Unique Users Australia

Reach

Average Visits/ Visitor

Average Time On Site

Male/Female

Mode Age Range

www.yha.com.au

27,000

0.2%

3.1

11.30

45% / 55%

45-54

www.statravel.com.au

64,000

0.4%

2.6

8.20

38% / 62%

45-54

www.webjet.com.au

580,000

3.7%

3.3

9.40

36% / 64%

45-54

www.lonleyplanet.com

130,000

0.9%

3

10.20

43% / 57%

45-54

www.tripadvisor.com.

430,000

2.7%

3.5

10.40

38% / 62%

45-54

www.ymca.org.au

29,000

0.2%

3

8.00

38% / 62%

0-17

All stats are for Australia only from Google AdPlanner as of October 28th 12.26pm.  

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Competitor Analysis YHA www.yha.com.au Key Content • • • • • • • • • •

Hostels Tours & Activities Travel Hints What’s on in Austalia Membership Information Travel Passes Travel Insurance What’s on YHA membership discounts Users ratings and feedback

Key Functions • • • • • • •

•

Interactive Map Book Hostels Group bookings Flights Bus & Car Online Membership registration Blog Booking Tracker

Strengths •

Extensive information of the YHA network

Weaknesses • •

Asthetics of the site are quite bland. Limited to what can be booked – only YHA hostels

Summary Good informative site for the backpacker. Lacks good depth of user generated content and sense of community.

13 

STA Travel www.statravel.com.au Key Content • • • • • • •

Promotions Competitions Loyalty Program Experiences Deals Destinations Contract

Key Functions • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Site search Flight search Accomodation search Booking Insurance Tours Bus & Rail search ISIC Application Subscribe Gift Vouchers Carbon Credits Travel tools & widgets Blogging engine

Strengths • • • •

Brand is prominent Good design Information is presented clearly Easy to navigate

Weaknesses • • •

Page depth is too long Slow to load Large focus on students and young travellers – possibly isolating older demographic

Summary Everything you can imagine is available to encourage you to engage with STA Travel and book a trip

14 

WebJet

www.webjet.com.au

Key Content • • • • • • •

Flights Cars Insurance Accommodation Specials/Promotions Comprehensive Travel Guide Info on Destinations, airlines, etc

Key Functions • • • • •

Book a flight Book a car Book everything Planning & budgeting Subscriptions

Strengths • •

Brand is prominent Relevant info is at the forefront

Weaknesess • •

Visually confronting Higher cost than booking direct – lot of add on commisions

Summary Very retail focussed site. A lot in the site, but reasonably presented for the amount it offers

15 

Lonely Planet

www.lonelyplanet.com

Key Content • • • • • • • • •

Destinations Travel Checklist Videos Hostels & Hotels Flights Travel Insurance Adventure & Tours Car & Rail Travel Money

Key Functions • • • • • • • • • • •

Interactive Map Trip Planner Booking engine Newsletter Mobile applications Forums Member Groups BlogSherpa Online store Magazine subscription Image store

Strengths •

Very detailed information on destinations including; latest headlines, top picks, related user groups and blogs.

Weaknesses •

• •

Not all travel products can be booked online Lot of information to wade through to find ideal place to visit International site – no Australian specific site

Summary Great site with a strong community element. Contains a lot of upto-date content and recommendations for the serious traveller

16 

Trip Advisor

www.tripadvisor.com

Key Content • • • • • •

Hotels Flights Cruises Restaurants Trip Ideas Travel Guides

Key Functions • • • • •

Travel Planner Booking Engine Comprehensive Reviews Featured Photo Travel blog

Strengths • • • •

Trips divided into categories depending on; budget, distance you wish to travel, time you wish to be away, interests etc My “Tripadvisor” section allows users to save planned trips, send messages to other travellers Fully featured traveller community Easy exploration of destinations and community reviews

Weaknesses • • •

Lot of contradictory reviews not listed in a specific order A lot of information to trawl through to find ideal place to visit or stay International site – no Australian specific site

Summary A highly functional site. Contains lots of relevant info for prospective travellers

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Competitor Analysis Conclusion After exploring the competitive landscape, all of the sites reviewed are clearly differentiated, whether it is the student focus of STA or the online recommendations for Lonely Planet. The new product for YMCA needs to have a strong point of difference from these brands to ensure people will use and remain loyal to the brand and product. As mentioned above, the strength of the YMCA brand online is much greater than any of the above competitors when viewed worldwide (see figure three). Interestingly America is a stronghold for the YMCA rather than the UK where the YMCA originated from. In Australia the YMCA does not have a strong brand presence and this needs to be improved in order to help increase the usage of the new Y Travel product.

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Objectives Key marketing objectives: 1. To introduce the concept of people booking and buying travel products and services from YMCA (Y Travel). 2. To get people to use the new service and new look YMCA – Y Travel 3. To engage with new and existing customers and get them to utilise the Y Travel services available on an ongoing basis. 4. Increase consumer awareness of the Y Travel brand and its services 5. Increase the share of wallet of travelers through cross-selling and up-selling opportunities

Key Digital Objectives 1. Develop a one-stop shop for online travel information and bookings 2. Position the YMCA brand as a community based travel agent 3. Ensure that the Y Travel website is top of mind for all travellers when researching or booking their travel 4. Achieve 500 businesses utilising the site as a marketing channel by end of year two 5. Achieve 50,000 unique visitors to the travel portal site by end of 2010, maintaining our average 3 visits per year Key Digital Performance Indicators 1. Eight average page views per visitor by end 2010 2. User time spent on site = 8 minutes by end 2010 3. 60,000 subscribed / registered new members by end 2010 4. 100 online bookings per month by end 2010 5. 200 bookings per month driven from the offline facility (enquiries made at the travel booths in YMCA hostels) to online by the end of 2010. 6. 1000 travel vouchers downloaded per month with 2.5% being redeemed

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DIGITAL STRATEGY     1. Introduce a new product/service for YMCA Travel - new online community travel booking service, built by the online community to benefit the online and offline community 2. Incentivise the current YMCA community and new customers to contribute usable content to the YMCA travel site through competition and ongoing engagement 3. Encourage usage of the travel booking tool through word of mouth, viral marketing, SEM and positive PR of community investment 4. Develop a profiled and segmented database to increase lifetime value and provide targeted offerings to customers 5. Drive new revenue through business registrations to the site 6. Utilise targeted digital communication channels to reach the right customers, with the most relevant message at their most receptive time 7. Clearly differentiate Y Travel site from competitors through clear messaging and a strong core offering 8. Re-brand to Y Travel to increase customer awareness of new service through SEM, SEO and on and off line marketing  

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New YMCA Travel Service YMCA’s new travel service will be - Y Travel. A new online community travel service which provides up-to-date information on a location and its best facilities as voted for by the online community and visitors. Initially the service will feature just Accommodation, Eating and Experiences with a view to expand on the offerings after 12 months depending on customer demand. The main point of difference for Y Travel, compared to other travel sites, is it will be a community based travel service for Australia, exclusively built by the Australian community. This will showcase the information about a community, services, facilities and experiences. The site utilises the community’s expertise in turn benefiting all. YMCA is known for its strength and support of community – this offline strength will further enhance the brand equity of YMCA in an online platform. By engaging the community, Y Travel will be able to identify and offer the products and services the community needs, wants and uses. Users will nominate their favourite accommodation, eatery and experiences for locations within Australia. Nomination will be via a short video (via YouTube) or photo of the customer at the location doing the YMCA dance – enforcing the YMCA brand and increasing the chance of viral marketing. The products nominated will provide the basis of the Y Travel service of up-to-the-minute accurate information from users rather than providers. Potential customers will be able to book the nominated accommodations, restaurants and experiences. The site will provide an online platform for smaller businesses that don’t have a strong online presence. To feature on the Y-Travel site the business will pay a small commission to YMCA for every booking. This money will then be used by the YMCA to build facilities in the same community such as community halls, playground facilities etc. This will equip the offline community to benefit as well from the new service. Unlike guidebooks which are out of date the minute they are printed, our service will provide up-to-the-minute user-generated information about an area. Customers will be able to log in and amend details about featured companies or areas as well as leave comments about accommodations, eateries and experiences to ensure the information provided is accurate. This is based on the successful Wikipedia model showing the online community is self-regulatory. There will be a slight time delay before amends appear to ensure moderator can check accuracy. Y Travel will also enable users to upload content in regard to their experiences, blog about their trip and chat to other users in forums. The site will provide a complete travel experience. Full website functionality is included as shown in the appendix People will be able to access information in YMCA hostels and information centres via interactive booths and trained staff. While this is an online product, many people prefer to speak to a person to confirm details and receive reassurance which will be offered at the YMCA hostels. We will offer both forms of interaction with a review in six months to ensure we provide the best experience for our customers.

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Y Travel Brand Attributes An online travel booking service for travellers wishing to book authentic Australian travel experiences. Y Travel will look after your personal travel needs with simplicity and ease. Y Travel have an experienced team and business systems and networks to enable the effective delivery of travel services. Benefits Operating as a sub division of the YMCA, Y Travel has the advantage of being able to leverage the brand awareness and reputation built by the YMCA organisation. A unique proposition allows customers to select an appropriate experience from a diverse range of travel services that may not be available with other travel providers. Providing the customer with greater choice, value and time to focus on the experience. Values Honesty – Respect – Caring – Responsibility Brand Essence Travel bookings with a sense of responsibility as illustrated by the Y Travel support of communities throughout Australia A Customer Journey Please see Appendix figure thirteen

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Launch Activity To launch the new product to new users (existing YMCA members are already actively using the site – see assumptions made) a competition would be used. Prizes would be offered for the nominee of the accommodation, eatery and experience with the highest number of votes. Encouraging each nominee/user to self-promote themselves and at the same time the site and functionality. Every entry will be required to be accompanied by either a video or photo of people doing the YMCA dance in front of the eatery, accommodation or activity location. All entries would be downloaded onto the YMCA site via YouTube with details of the location, why it’s their favourite as well as their contact details too. This would enable people who don’t visit the current YMCA site to still be engaged in the launch and subsequently the product. The competition will run for three months and will provides interaction for members and general public. It also builds the base of the YMCA travel product as any business recommended will be contacted to be included within the booking tool. The best video/idea will be voted on in several different categories by the online community. The winning entry in each category will win a domestic holiday of their choice up to the value of $5,000 as well as the opportunity to present (via blog or podcast) an online travel show downloadable from the YMCA website which will go around the country and feature different communities and their best attractions. As shown from the background above, current YMCA website visitors are 1.8 times more likely to be searching for YouTube,* showing a strong correlation between the sites in regards to their users. Therefore, a product launched with an online video component would be more successful from YMCA than other brands. Through research and an awareness campaign (including a CSA featuring YMCA celebrity ambassador Ian Thorpe) we will be able to show the YMCA as offering new services, we would also amass a large amount of information which can then be used as part of the service. The service would grow and include the ability to connect like-minded people.

*Google AdPlanner

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2. Member Acquisition 1. Brand Awareness

3. Conversion to Sales

4. Member Retention & Loyalty

5. Measurement & Maximisation

Brand Awareness - Build the brand to become top of mind when searching and booking travel products

A critical element to the success of Y Travel is the establishment of a strong brand that works well across all advertising, digital communications and display advertising. Each must instantly convey the brand essence and reinforce the Y Travel’s value proposition and point of difference. As part of the strategy moving forward, Y Travel will embrace the traditional YMCA brand image as well as move Y Travel forward with the times and demonstrate that it is a brand that is undergoing positive change for its’ community of members as well as the greater community.

Member Acquisition - Attract new customers

The YMCA will use its existing member database to ‘spread the word’ with an aim of attracting new members as well as look at ways of providing these members with tangible reasons, and a user friendly process, to engage with Y Travel and use the services offered. The aim is to provide a great experience for all Y Travel members so that they tell more friends about the service and in turn result in further acquisition of new members.

Conversion to Sales -Turning “lookers” into “bookers to increase share of wallet Whilst it’s essential to acquire new members and create a user-friendly experience for all; without sales the Y Travel product cannot continue. The key focus of the Digital Tactics will be to provide relevant content to users based on their search and behaviour with Y Travel in order to encourage them to book. Use of targeted online vouchers and promotion through offline channels such as the booking booths will continue to incentivise people to book with Y Travel. With increased revenue, Y Travel can stay true to its brand and distribute its revenue to give back to the community.

Member Retention and Loyalty - Harvesting repeat business from existing members Through development of a CRM, Y Travel will be able to link all behaviours and preferences for members back to each individual member and develop ongoing targeted communications and offers. By listening to what members want from Y Travel and by engaging with them through conversation, Y Travel aims to continually develop a product for its members, built by its members. By doing this Y Travel will build loyal and long lasting relationship with its members. The more happy members, the more likely they are to tell their friends and further increase members acquisition.

Measurement and Maximisation - Tracking and analysing all activity to continually refine and improve the product and key marketing activity It’s important to ensure that the website and all marketing activity can be tracked and reported on, to understand their effectiveness. Y Travel will track and continue to refine on an ongoing basis via web tracking, revenue reports and continuing to listen to member feedback.

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Summary of Key Marketing Activities Activity

Brand Awareness

SEO

•

•

• • • • SEM

•

• • • •

• Identify key words Specific to YMCA brand, target market and new service Utilise survey results for keywords as well as Google Ad-words to identify key search terms • used by the customer Optimize metadata tags for all images utilising keywords Ensure every page fully optimised with keywords. Ensure title tags on YMCA page are utilized and use keywords Metadata uses keywords and site description Use Google Grants – free Adwords account for charities $330 daily budget. CPC set at $1 Use highly targeted keywords market Link creative in to key words

•

Member Acquisition • Use a combination of organic search for keywords and Google Adwords. Optimize metadata tags Linking strategy. Ensure Y Travel links are on appropriate travel and product sites

Conversion to Sales Identify key words – • ongoing - linked to sales & booking •

Create landing pages • based on key word search increasing Google Quality Score and enabling higher placement on results

Track users beyond original click. i.e. through cookies. Serving them the right ad

Customer Retention & Loyalty • Ensure site is optimised for new and existing customers Adapt search terms used on the site for keywords

•

•

Serving the right ad through cookies – enabling targeted messages

•

Measurement & Maximisation Continual review of key words and creative to ensure new trends are recognised and utilised in keyword maximisation Look at Google Trends to see YMCA search popularity as compared to other brands on an ongoing basis

Constant evaluation of key words and increasing key words, ad groups with a view to having paid search if required

25 

Activity

Brand Awareness

Online P.R.

•

•

Offline P.R. and Marketing

•

•

•

Member Acquisition • Provide media content for partners such as Travel mags, shows Drive awareness of competition through dynamic content in online ads on partner sites

Conversion to Sales Ongoing awareness to drive people to the site

• YMCA staff and volunteers to staff Y Travel Booths in centres and at external locations to • explain product and sell the service • Face to face acquisition with online facilities available • Data driving competitions at travel shows • Point of sale in YMCA locations

Ongoing awareness to drive people either to the site or the booths Sale conversions at shows and Y Travel booths

Press releases to targeted • consumer trade and travel media Engage our current • members through Facebook, email and Twitter

Use of off-line touch points at YMCA hostels and centres & high traffic areas i.e. shopping centres utilising Y Travel booth Attendance at consumer shows i.e.: Outdoor trade show, Senior week, Backpacker Expo, community fairs Use of promotional merchandise T-shirts, pens etc

•

•

•

•

•

Customer Retention & Loyalty • Provide ongoing stories and exposure for the competition, the winning entries, the building of new community facilities as • funded by the commission structure

Keep customers engaged, even if offline, through direct mail campaigns, discount vouchers and birthday cards if no email Dedicated staff for Y Travel Booths to keep updated database of customers – ensuring recognition of loyalty to Y Travel Loyalty to be rewarded with discounts and VIP offers at the Y

•

•

•

•

Measurement & Maximisation Use Google analytics to track the links from stories to check conversion rate Identify the most profitable sites to work with and provide exclusive information to increase ROI Increase in member numbers on the database illustrating the success of Y Travel marketing activities Segmentation of database to enable measurement of ROI for on and offline Maximisation of revenue through CRM system Use promotional codes for tracking

 

Activity

Brand Awareness

Display Advertising Online

•

• All online ads will feature • interactive content drawn from the Y Travel • site using widgets.

Strategic Alliances

•

• • • •

Interactive banner ads on • related sites, using distressed space and contra arrangements Dynamic ads with content • drawn from the site including voting results Partner with companies such as travel insurance, car hire, transportation Use sites which our online users visit frequently as shown with AdWords i.e. villagecinemas

Links on appropriate travel partner websites. Increasing awareness Relevant content on partner’s websites Focus on sites with high cross over Email partners with latest news, events and success stories Liaise with partners to identify joint opportunities and source promotions

• •

• •

•

Member Acquisition Interactive ads foster engagement with the customer linking to the Y Travel Site Facilitate acquisition through interaction and engagement with online registration with targeted incentives related to site visited

•

•

•

• Cross promote to partner’s databases Links from related sites help organic search results and provide new potential customers • Facilitate acquisition through interaction and engagement Promote registration • with targeted incentives related to site visited Suppliers become our advocates

Conversion to Sales Through registration and knowledge of site visited prior to Y Travel sending of targeted emails to new customer Offer discount in conjunction with partner site i.e. 10% off hotel price with extra day car hire when booked through Y Travel Downloadable voucher, vouchers in newsletters (hard copy) Once on YMCA site, provide a targeted offer or a recommendation for purchase relating to partner source Promotion to partner’s database with joint discounts and promotions Offer promotions sourced from partner alliances

•

•

•

•

•

Customer Retention & Loyalty Show targeted ads for • users who have visited the Y Travel site through clicking on a display ad • Ensure data collected from Google Analytics is used when communicating with user from ads served to offers shown Link loyalty offers with related company site

Measurement & Maximisation Analyse click through rate and no. of sales with Google Analytics Identify key partners through constant review for ads with high ROI

Ongoing targeted • offers sourced by partners. i.e. • backpacks, travel bags Build relationship with customer in • conjunction with partner

Tracking through Google analytics Register conversions and drop outs Contact drop-outs with new offers test other discounts

 

Activity

Brand Awareness

Viral Marketing

•

• •

Consumer generated content

Email

• • • •

Outline of sample eDM • shown in appendix figure eleven •

• Promote product to member base and encourage send to a friend with incentives for members Use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to promote • service Increase chance of competition going viral with incentives for generating more votes for an entry • Provide blog, forum and Rss links functionality on our YMCA sites Fan pages on Facebook and other websites Monthly e-newsletter with • online registration Variety of e-newsletters to members, new users, small businesses etc • Use YMCA member database to send personalised and highly targeted communications All emails to have ‘share this’ as well as ‘Send to a Friend’ to help increase the viral component

Member Acquisition With all member get • member activities collect names and email addresses and send a targeted • one-off email to new prospects Use our existing customers as our ambassadors for acquisition. Reward with discounts

Conversion to Sales Promotion of special • offers across chosen social media channels Use our existing • customers as our ambassadors for acquisition and • reward with discounts

Customer Retention & Loyalty • Reward friend and existing member with every booking arising from member get • member activity • Joint marketing to both contacts Increase discounts and offers to members when they provide more customers

Measurement & Maximisation Increase of registered names on database Sales tracking Track communication channel, i.e. email

Acquire small amounts of information with surveys to fans, bloggers etc

Referral and recommendations

Recommendations & referrals

No of sales. Mentions on blogs and other pages from users Responding to user content Surveys or quick polls via eDMs Measure open, click through and conversion rates. Unsubscribe numbers

•

• Use the strategic partners database to acquire new customers with joint • promotions Provide content for other newsletters such as Australian traveller, travel insurance companies etc. with • competitions to increase registration

•

• • •

Targeted voucher offers with monthly newsletter Testing of email content, formats and times to confirm the most successful format for each customer segment on the database Linked offer with partners such as reduced travel insurance

Welcome home emails • Ongoing and discounts and exclusive member • treatment • First to know emails re • offers, discounts etc • Priority booking • Welcome email for new members with a survey to provide targeted offers Online surveys to keep customer profiles updated • •

28 

Activity bsite Usability (full

functionality shown in the appendix figure one) Social Marketing

Brand Awareness •

• • •

•

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube chosen due to • research on our online YMCA users as referenced in Situational • Analysis •

Updated website functionality and look to reflect new product offering Fresh copy and offers to be added to increase SEO listings Fully optimised site

• •

•

• Twitter to reveal latest competition news, products with highest • vote maintaining engagement through • regular updates YouTube customised page to be created allowing users to upload videos for the competition YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Y Travel sites to be linked with a consistent messaging across all updates and information YMCA use own videos to further engage members Encourage blogging on Y travel site Y travel Site, Facebook Fan Page and YouTube allow users to share content and views about their experiences

Member Acquisition Online competitions and surveys Membership of website for extra content and functionality Downloadable special offer vouchers

• •

Competitions, social • forums, blogs Facebook Fan Page • – identify new users Offers and ads to be tested on different sites i.e. Twitter, Facebook etc to find most responsive

Conversion to Sales Usability, navigation, • search book, accessibility, payment options

Customer Retention & Loyalty Member portal, log in. • Notification of new offers. Community bulletin board • •

Referrals through online peers Provide updates on latest products and travel scenes

•

•

• Twitter - an integrated lead generation/nurturing system. Review of posts on YMCA and use feedback for product enrichment and development • Members can provide feedback via Twitter or Facebook and see what other members are saying. Y travel to engage with customers and respond to feedback with possible development of product and services • to meet customer needs

Measurement & Maximisation Use Analytics to track which promotional page and link works most effectively Booking enhancement Site performance Use of tools such as social mention & Icerocket. Facebook fan club stats, You Tube stats, web analytics The analytical capacity of Facebook Fan Clubs will help measure the number of fans, levels of engagement and link all content through to the website Research – use surveys to engage users. Responses to help with future planning and product development

29 

Activity

Brand Awareness

Mobile Marketing

•

Database Marketing

•

•

•

Database Management

• Use of a Y Travel branded mobile applet which enables users to link to existing content supplied by external suppliers. For example weather, regional events, traffic Use existing database to • contact members with targeted information about the new service in relation to their previous travel experience with YMCA Using partner databases to identify matching customers Use MOSAIC matching to identify other customers on cold lists •

Member Acquisition Send to a friend, member get member

•

List rental on emails • i.e. Great Aussie Survey after customer profiling

Conversion to Sales • Send relevant messages and offers based on their itinery or travel preferences. From data gathered online or in person.

Customer Retention & Loyalty • Goodwill messaging with link to applet to create a better user • experience of Y Travel •

Offer targeted offers • to database segment i.e. travellers with children provide a discount off child • minding when booking a child friendly holiday

• Targeted voucher offers based on member preferences and purchase • behaviour Through a clean and updated database and CRM system continue to provide targeted offers to customer base Recognition of customer lifecycle • Tracking and maintenance of behaviours and purchases

• Deduping of data, unique identifier

•

Updating of demographics

•

•

Measurement & Maximisation Report based on standard mobile send reports Mobile opt ins Mobile numbers on database External suppliers to provide usage reports Sales to each segment on the database Low drop at sales point off when existing customers on the database are booking

Bounce back of emails & returned mail

All of the above activity will be tested and evaluated on an ongoing basis to ensure maximum exposure for the Y Travel brand as well as increasing ROI and sales. Although all activities will be ongoing the marketing calendar as shown in figure two gives an example of how the above will come together over the initial 12 month period

 

Key tags to be used on all activity

31 

Web Development New Y Travel site (to be launched in January 2010) • YMCA will launch a new online Travel portal, which will linked to the main YMCA site and all regional sites • The site will incorporate a fully functioning travel booking engine allowing users to book; accommodation, experiences and dining initially with full roll out after one year Key Functionality • Trip planner with ability to share with friends on social networks and send itinerary to fellow traveller or parents • Interactive map with roll over functionality showing key points of interest and areas with high user votes • Community generated content including; travel blogs, forum, videos, travel tips • Membership subscription available but not essential to use the site • Booking tracker • Travel tools & widgets – such as currency convertor, mileage calculator • Mobile version of the site and mobile applications • What’s on guide by location, date and interests • Online Gift Vouchers • Link to taxi calculator (working out costs of taxi trips for users) • Destination guide download to printable copy including maps and contact details of accommodation etc • Travel Forum to discuss travel destinations with other users, ask questions of other users Web design • Contemporary design • Uncluttered and clean • Seamless experience • Engaging, designed to evoke anticipation of travel experience • Sketch of potential website re-design shown in Figure ten Segmentation of products The following is a representation of YMCA’s current customer database. This could expand through development of the product and engagement with users. • Adventure traveller • Family travel • Group travel • Leisure traveller

32 

Communication Objectives • Create a travel portal where users can plan / book their Australian holiday with minimal hassle • Provide a convenient tool for travellers to plan their holiday • Drive uptake and participation in regional travel experiences, benefiting the travel industry • Give a positive image of Australian tourism

Budget For full breakdown of the annual budget please see appendix figure twelve

33 

CONCLUSION To ensure success any new product launched online must engage the online community. Y Travel will source products via the online community (through their recommendations) and continue to engage the online customer via blogs, feedback and surveys and refine the products offered. As YMCA existing users and members have already engaged with the new service, MOSAIC matching and AdPlanner will help source similar customers. New customers will also be sourced through engaging the online community with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. SEO and SEM will increase awareness of Y Travel and the products offered. Google Grants will enable Y Travel to have a presence on paid search without any expenditure. Optimising our site in conjunction with Google Grants will maximise exposure on Google. Utilising further online tools, such as Analytics, as well as contra from companies supporting a registered charity Y Travel will ensure the maximum ROI is achieved.

34 

APPENDIX FIGURE ONE The following functionality Item Content Management System Search Functionality Send to a friend and share functionality eNewsletter Sign Up User registration

Video Content – ‘Local travel attractions’ Calendar / events Competition Gallery Upload

Booking Engine FAQ Statistical Package Forms

is proposed to be included on the Y Travel portal: Detail Develop the existing CRM system to allow non-technical people to add and update content on the site. Different users can be given permissions to update certain parts of the site. Administrators to be set up with permissions to the entire site. User Search will be implemented on the site as follows: 1. Across the entire site, a search box will be available for keyword searches with an additional category search facility. 2. Within articles, an article search box will be available with ability to search by category and keyword. For each page, users will be able to enter in their friend’s email address, name and personalised message. A personalised email will then be sent with a link to the page of interest. Will be able to sign up to monthly eNewsletters – integrated with the CRM to provide dynamic content There will be two types of registration for the Y Travel website. 1) General site users to register to become a “Y Member” and receive emailed updates and special offers. 2) Users who complete the registration form will be added to the member’s database in the CMS/CRM. General members will have access to Trip Planner, Interactive Map, Booking Tracker and Forum. They will have the ability to upload content to the travel blog and images to the photo gallery for the chance to win prizes when the competition is running. Members will have the option for the Y Travel site to remember them (thereby not requiring repeat login) when they visit the site again if cookies are enabled. Users will be able to upload promotional footage from the suppliers, including short interviews, travel show clips etc. All users will be able to view video content. Traveller will be able to post video content with ease. Members will be able to comment on videos however website administrator would be required to monitor all posts. This will show a list of upcoming events by location and category Only registered users will be able to enter competitions. Need to allow for video and photo upload. The gallery upload feature will enable logged in members to upload jpeg images of their holiday to the gallery section within a particular category. Members who are logged in will be able to leave comments for images. An administrator will need to monitor images. Users will be able to search for accommodation, travel packages, experiences, events, attractions, dining, transportation, travel insurance, car hire and foreign exchange. Module to display FAQs Google Analytics with WebTrends to run reports on total number of clicks per supplier, total spent, commission etc. Majority (if not all) forms will need to be integrated with Traction.

35 

FIGURE TWO

Calendar of Activity for NSW assuming roll out of product in January    

JANUARY  •

•

FEBRUARY 

Launch of competition via CSA,  • Online ads, Google Grants  • campaign, SEO and social media.  •

eDM to existing members re  launch of competition with call  to action to book 

• • •

MAY  SEM Queen’s Birthday Campaign  • Online poll – Best coastal holiday  •

• •

eDM Queen’s Birthday Campaign  • Online poll – Best coastal holiday  •

SEPTEMBER  SEM Spring Holidays 

eDM Spring Holidays 

SEM School Holidays Campaign  End of financial year discount from  partner travel operators  eDM School Holidays Campaign  End of financial year discount from  partner travel operators 

•

• •

SEM Travel to give you a thrill  (Halloween) campaign  Online poll – best activity to give you  a thrill  eDM Travel to give you a thrill  (Halloween) campaign  Online poll – best activity to give you  a thrill 

SEM School Holidays/Easter campaign.   eDM to those registered on the site to  finalise voting 

 

• •

APRIL  • •

SEM ANZAC campaign  End of competition –  announcement of winners 

 

eDM School Holidays/Easter campaign.  eDMs to members to finalise their vote 

• •

JULY 

eDM ANZA Campaign  End of competition –  announcement of winners 

AUGUST 

• •

SEM Winter Holidays Campaign  Online poll – best kid friendly place 

•

Launch of Community Travel  Awards through all channels 

• •

eDM Winter Holidays campaign  Online poll – best kid friendly place 

•

Launch of Community Travel  Awards 

OCTOBER 

• •

• •

JUNE 

• •

•

SEM Valentine’s Day campaign   Online ads run with top voted video.   Increase registration on site people  who register can print off Y ? “name  of favourite place”  Online poll for Valentines – Y Love?   eDM Valentine’s Day campaign  Targeted online ads run with top  voted video.  

MARCH 

NOVEMBER 

DECEMBER 

• •

SEM Christmas/School Holidays Campaign  • Launch of charity Christmas e‐cards using  images from persons favourite location  

SEM Christmas/School  Holidays Campaign 

• •

eDM Christmas/School Holidays Campaign Launch of charity Christmas e‐cards using  images from users favourite location 

•

eDM Christmas/School  Holidays Campaign 

36 

FIGURE THREE

 

37 

FIGURE FOUR 

 

38 

  FIGURE FIVE 

 

 

39 

FIGURE FIVE (CONT) 

 

40 

FIGURE SIX

 

41 

FIGURE SEVEN

 

42 

FIGURE EIGHT   

 

43 

FIGURE NINE

 

44 

FIGURE TEN Y Travel home page wire frame

Y TRAVEL LOGO

HOME

SEARCH & BOOK

NEW TO Y TRAVEL? Sign Up

SIGN IN TO Y TRAVEL

COMPETITION/PROMOTIONAL BANNER

COMPETITION

TRAVEL TIPS

NEWS

mY TRAVEL

Y Travel key tagline Heading 2 + intro to program copy

Email Key: Password Forgotten Password

Adventure Travel

Family Travel

Leisure Travel

Group Travel

Image/Copy Copy

SUBMIT Remember me

This month's Hot Offers!

eNewsletter Sign Up

BLOG UPDATES/TOP TIPS (Live feed) Quick Poll

FOOTER LINKS

45 

FIGURE ELEVEN E-newsletter wire frame

  Follow on message from subject line, Click to View online link COMPETITION HOT OFFERS

Key offer/update Enticement to open

Hi , Introduction copy

DESINTATION OF THE MONTH

HOT OFFER 2 Dependent on preferences

WHAT'S ON Events/shows

NEWS

HOT OFFER 1 Dependent on preferences

Image/Copy Copy

TRAVEL TIPS

BLOG UPDATES/TOP TIPS (Live feed)

Key:

TELL US YOUR FAVOURITE Quick Poll OPTION 1

mY TRAVEL

OPTION 2

FEATURED PARTNERS YMCA News

1

2

YMCA FEDERATRION ADVERTISING PANEL Footer Unsubscribe link

46 

47 

48 

FIGURE THIRTEEN

49 

Assumptions Made -

YMCA’s strong member base has already been surveyed with Survey Monkey to ensure product would be successfully received and used

-

Existing database of members have already been engaged

-

The revenue projections are based on current industry figures (source Tourism Australia 2009).

-

The in-house YMCA Marketing Team will carry out the following functions;

-

ƒ

Writing, distributing and monitoring of media releases

ƒ

Database management and maintenance

ƒ

Liaison with suppliers

ƒ

Set-up and attendance at Travel shows

ƒ

Set-up of online kiosks in the YMCA centres will be funded by a $1 Million government grant (source October 09 YMCA Victoria website)

The new Digital Marketing Executive will carry out the following functions ƒ

Copywriting of web content

ƒ

Email design and send, SEO and SEM

ƒ

Copywriting of web content

ƒ

Social media campaign set-up and management

ƒ

Moderate the web site

-

Google Grants will cover the SEM costs

-

CMS used by the main site will be integrated into the travel portal

-

The site will be hosted in-house by the server used to host the main YMCA site

-

Print costs will be funded by existing YMCA Federation and business partnerships

 

50